Will La Grange D-102 Board Discuss Controversy?

LA GRANGE, IL — Members of the La Grange School District 102 board have said for weeks they would get an update on a conflict of interest investigation at Thursday's meeting.

But the agenda for that meeting gives no clear indication that the issue will be a matter for discussion.

The board's president, Mike Melendez, and vice president, Ed Campbell, could not be immediately reached for comment. The conflict of interest allegation has been leveled against Campbell.

The board scheduled a closed session for the beginning of Thursday's meeting. But it is unclear under which exception to the state's open meetings law that the board could discuss a conflict of issue involving a board member behind closed doors.

In March, member Bessie Boyd told the board it appeared as if Campbell had used his unpaid work to set up a coronavirus saliva-testing lab in District 102 to build a business to sell the same service to other schools.

Campbell, however, said he abstained from all votes dealing with the testing program and used District 102's publicly available information in his sales presentations to other school boards.

The district's lawyer, Darcy Kriha, is said to be investigating the matter, with an update expected at the board's meeting Thursday.

One item on the agenda could be related to the conflict of interest investigation. The board is set to vote on waiving attorney-client privilege for a legal opinion on the saliva-testing program. If that is approved, then the board is set to discuss the matter.

Asked about Thursday's meeting agenda, Boyd said she didn't think she should comment now "because I am the main person bringing up the objection to Ed's behavior."

"I don't want to sway anyone," Boyd said. "I want to be transparent. I want the public to know once the report is complete."

In early May, Campbell said on a local Facebook page that the board had already received an update on the law firm's investigation about the allegation in a closed session. But Boyd said she knew of no update that the board has received. She said she had attended all the recent closed meetings.

Patch asked Campbell about the legal reasoning for the closed meeting, but he said he did not know. President Melendez did not return two messages for comment at the time.

A watchdog group has questioned the legal justification for holding a closed meeting on a conflict of interest allegation.